Common Made Mistakes By First-Time Home Buyers Part 2

Looking to buy your first home is a big step and something to look forward to and be proud of. You’ve worked hard to get here and it is finally time to buy a home of your own. But you don’t want just any house, you want one that truly feels like home and, possibly even more important, one that you can afford. In our last blog post, we brought up a few of the most common mistakes that we see first-time home buyers commit, and we’ve witnessed so many that we came back to tell you a few more!

If you’re currently in search of your first home, congratulations! Here at Iron Gate Real Estate, we care about our clients and are proud to help find them their homes. When you have one of our Columbia real estate agents on your side, you can rest assured that we aren’t working for the paycheck but your ultimate satisfaction. We’ll steer you away from the following mistakes that some buyers make, but you’ll still want to keep these in mind when beginning your search. Contact us today to get started!

Falling In Love With a House (Out of Your Price Range)

In the last post, we mentioned how important knowing what you are able to spend on a home truly is. You don’t want to forget that you’ll have other expenses alongside the cost of the house and before you begin looking at listings, you really want to know what neighborhoods are in your price range. Many times, people start looking before they know their budget (just to get an idea of what is on the market), and unfortunately, find what they consider to be the home of their dreams. But then find out that it is way out of their price range. Not only is this incredibly disappointing, but every other house that they look at will pale in comparison to the house that they set their heart on.

In even worse situations, the buyer takes out loans that they won’t be able to pay back just to move into that house. Very quickly they find themselves in debt and struggling to get out. The point of the story is before you even start scrolling through Zillow or checking out open houses, know your price range and try not to get your hopes up.

Focusing On the House Instead of the Neighborhood

The actual structure is obviously one of the main factors that go into you wanting to buy the home or not, but many people overlook its location and the neighborhood that it is in. This is something that you really have to consider. Keep in mind what the commute to your job will be like, the overall personality of the neighborhood, where the nearest grocery store is, etc. If you have kids, the location is especially important. You want to look at the nearby school districts to make sure that they get the best education, you probably also want them to be in a neighborhood with other kids that they can play and enjoy their childhood with. As the old saying goes; location, location, location.

Trying To Do It Alone

You may get the idea that you don’t even need a real estate agent and you can find and purchase the home on your own. This isn’t a good route for anyone, but especially not for first-time homebuyers. The real estate industry is not only complex, but it is incredibly competitive as well. If you try and go in alone you will be jumping into a pool of sharks and will likely be spending way more than you should be for a home that you don’t even love, or settling for a house when there was one on the market that you didn’t even know about.

When you have an agent from Iron Gate Real Estate in Columbia on your side, you can rely on us to use our experience and our dedication to your satisfaction to find you the ideal first home for you. Your satisfaction is our top priority and we won’t settle until we find you the right home for the right price. If you’re ready to start looking for your first home, then feel free to contact us today!

It is a fundamental goal of IGRE to enhance and impact our local economy and culture. We mentor and train our agents consistently, volunteer and give back to those in need, and engage with our local economy every chance we get.